


Multifaceted: The Two Faces of Lady Une

by noirangetrois



Series: Mental Health in Gundam Wing [1]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Meta, Spoilers, and what they got wrong, surprise surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noirangetrois/pseuds/noirangetrois
Summary: An analysis of Lady Une's character and how her portrayal matches up with the realities of Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder).
Relationships: None
Series: Mental Health in Gundam Wing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711513
Kudos: 4





	Multifaceted: The Two Faces of Lady Une

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for a GW fanzine back in 2019. I didn't realize until now that meta can be posted on AO3, so this is a little late, but better late than never! I did research to make sure my information about DID was as accurate as possible, and while there are not in-text citations, there is a list of sources at the end of the piece so you can see where I got my information.

This essay will discuss how Dissociative Identity Disorder is portrayed in Gundam Wing, namely through the character Une. It will cover what the show got right and wrong about the disorder, as well as what parts of the depiction are debatable.

Let’s start with what Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is. It was previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. According to the most recent Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), published by the American Psychiatric Association, it is a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. Une’s portrayal in Gundam Wing is in many ways consistent with DID, though the show also got several things wrong, as most media portrayals tend to do with DID.

According to the DSM-V, 90% of cases include a history of abuse in childhood. We are never shown anything about Une’s childhood, though presumably she entered the military at an early age, given that by age 19 (her age during the show), she has reached the rank of colonel. Frozen Teardrop, the controversial serial novel sequel to Gundam Wing, tells us that Noin was handpicked by Treize at age ten to help suppress a revolt. Une is not part of this mission, but it stands to reason that she may have also seen combat at that age or thereabouts. Sending a child to war is certainly a form of child abuse.

However, the creators do not give us this background in the show, Endless Waltz, Frozen Teardrop, or even Episode Zero. What we do see is a reprimand from Treize after Une threatens to attack the colonies in episode 10, in order to get the Gundams to surrender. This succeeds, but Treize immediately relays a reprimand through Noin, saying that she should be “more graceful. About everything.”

In the next episode, Une apologizes profusely, and interestingly, Treize tells her that what she did is “water under the bridge now.” Treize then tells her to go to outer space, emphasizing that the people of space are “peace-minded” and “won’t stand any militarism,” then instructing her to “do away with some of your formalities.” In that same episode, Une gives a press conference wearing a red rose, which connects her symbolically to Treize. She says that OZ is fighting the “rebels” that were “sent to Earth” in order to “maintain world peace.”

Except for the scene later in episode 11 when Relena tries to shoot her, we don’t see Une again until episode 17. This is her first appearance of her alter (‘alter’ is the technical term for an alternative personality), a persona that many people refer to as “peaceful Une.” We know something has changed immediately, because unlike her main personality, who wears glasses, a military uniform, and her hair up in buns, “peaceful Une” wears a skirt suit, no glasses, her hair down, and has a less severe facial expression. Her voice is higher pitched.

The implication is that the stress of being reprimanded by Treize, a person she is obviously devoted to, has caused her to develop a more graceful and peace-minded alter. This is dubious because the vast majority of DID cases are caused by some sort of trauma. What cases aren’t related to childhood abuse can be caused by other traumatic events such as natural disasters and military combat, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). While Une has seen combat, it had not previously been indicated that this had caused her personality to split, and she does not go into combat immediately preceding her development of an alter. Further, the fact that her alter adheres to the mannerisms and mindset Treize instructed her to adopt heavily suggests that his words are the cause of this change.

However, it should be noted that some sources say that, while not common, stress alone can be a cause of DID. The website of the Cleveland Clinic says, “episodes of DID can be triggered by… symbolic traumas, including mild events such as… stress.” It could certainly be argued that being reprimanded by someone Une is so doggedly devoted to serving would be stressful. Whether the related stress would be sufficient to trigger DID is up for debate.

How do we know that Une’s peaceful persona is a manifestation of DID and not merely a front she puts on to trick the people of the colonies? For one thing, in episode 22 Treize tells Zechs she has “split personalities” because of her feelings for him. But more than that, the show actually does a good job of portraying the way her alter differs from her main personality, as well as other details that are typical of DID.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “each alter has distinct individual traits.... And a way of thinking about and relating to his or her surroundings.” As described above, Une’s appearance and voice both change between her main personality and her alter, which are both emblematic of DID. Each personality also has very different world views.

Early on in the show, Une’s main personality shows itself to be ruthless and determined, willing to stop at nothing to attain the goals Treize sets for her. For example, she assassinates Relena’s adoptive father in episode 5, and similarly kills General Septem in episode 7, all because it was part of Treize’s elaborate plan for OZ usurp the Alliance. In episode 6, she sends troops to kill Relena while she’s attending a party at her school. Une harshly rebukes a soldier who objects to attacking civilians, and only calls the mission off after a direct order from Treize. And of course, there’s the scene in episode 10 that I mentioned before, where her threats against the colonies memorably lead to Heero self-destructing.

This continues after her personalities have split. While in her military persona in episode 17, she orders Tauruses to fire their special beam cannons at the colony where Doctor J is holed up. Nichol, her second in command, protests that they would “crush the colony if they hit directly.” Une replies, “Since when has OZ tiptoed it’s way through battles? We’re not trying to establish diplomatic relations, we’re trying to fight a war.” J surrenders before the colony is damaged.

That statement is in direct conflict with statements Une makes while in her peaceful persona. When Wufei is attacking Space Fortress Barge in episode 19, Une opposes the fighting altogether. She tells both Wufei and the OZ fighters, “Please, stop this futile battle. Let us greet a new age together…. Let's do away with any desires to battle which were left over from the passing era. Such destructive desires aren't needed in the future.” Nichol begs Une to give him orders to attack Wufei’s Gundam, but Une responds that she “can't do that. Peace should prevail in outer space.” This prompts Nichol to wonder, “Which Colonel am I supposed to follow?”

Dr. David Spiegel of Stanford University explains that identities might not be aware of one another and may compartmentalize memories and knowledge. This is true of Une’s two personalities. For example, in episode 19, “peaceful Une” is talking to some colony representatives about OZ’s past “mistakes” when Nichol comes to give her a report. When he tells her, “We have ‘the item’ in question,” referring to a shuttle one of the Gundam pilots used to launch into space and she has no idea what he’s talking about. He then asks her to return to Barge, and all she can do is ask, “Barge?” 

Again, she has no idea. He insists that it’s on Treize’s orders, which she repeats to herself, and then the screen becomes black and white and focuses in on her face to highlight her distress. To my knowledge, this is the ONLY time the creators used black and white at all. Une’s confusion is plain to see. Then, color returns and her eyes and voice changes back to that of her military persona, and she returns to Barge.

Another example of this amnesia is in episode 22. Here, “peaceful Une” discusses the mobile dolls with Nichol, saying that she doesn’t intend to send them to Earth because it “will mean more bloodshed.” She then laments that Treize won’t be coming to Space, which she believes is necessary for attaining peace. She then says, “There isn't any point in my staying here.” Nichol rebuts this by saying that she still has her duty as an OZ soldier, and she again becomes confused, parroting his words back to him in disbelief. He insists that she should support Treize as a soldier rather than trying to guide him, and that it’s what Treize desires. The last line in that scene is when, still confused, Une asks rhetorically, “Master Treize desires that?” Once again, “peaceful Une” has no recollection of her other self.

“Military Une” obviously does not remember what “peaceful Une” is up to, either, as evidenced by the above referenced scene in which she states that “We’re not trying to establish diplomatic relations, we’re trying to fight a war.” Establishing diplomatic relations is exactly what her alter is trying to do.

It should be noted that alters also frequently have different names (NAMI, Cleveland Clinic). Here, the lines are not clear cut. Une already has two variations on her name before her alter appears: Lady Une and Colonel Une. Before she goes to outer space and we meet “peaceful Une,” she is addressed by her military subordinates and others as Colonel Une. This includes Zechs and Noin, with the notable exception of episode 10, when Noin calls her Lady Une, stressing the word Lady, as she is relaying Treize’s reprimand. This makes sense, because throughout the series, Treize only ever calls her Lady Une, never acknowledging her military rank.

One might expect that she would only respond to Lady Une when in her peaceful persona, since in this identity she forgets that she is part of the military, but this is not true. Nichol almost exclusively refers to her as Colonel Une, and she responds to this without problems even while she is “peaceful Une,” which doesn’t exactly make much sense, given that other direct reminders of her other self are very upsetting to her.

The process of changing from one identity to another in DID is called “switching,” and according to WebMD, “can take seconds to minutes to days.” In Une’s case the switching that is portrayed takes seconds or minutes. The show goes out of it’s way to portray the process of switching several times, and we mostly see her change from “peaceful Une” to “military Une,” though there is one exception. There are a few instances when the process takes only seconds, as in the case above after the screen turns black and white.

This happens again in episode 22. Barge and it’s mobile dolls are attacking an Alliance colony, which Zechs is helping to defend in Tallgeese. This is the scene in which Treize tells Zechs that Une has split personalities. He then asks Zechs to save Une. Somehow, Treize knows that Une has taken a mobile suit onto the battlefield while in her peaceful persona. At this point, “peaceful Une’s” views of battle have evolved. It should be noted that this occurs immediately after Nichol urges her to take on the role of an OZ soldier, and is the first time we see her after that scene. Just before Treize appears on Zech’s screen, Une, already on the battlefield, says, “Treize is hoping we'll put up a fight! Can't you create a new future, Treize? There's no choice left but to battle. It's the only way that remains. Without fighting, nothing can be created.”

Whatever her views, this Une has no idea how to operate a mobile suit. The Taurus she is in simply floats along, not defending itself or even moving at all when hit by enemy fire. But then, her eyes and voice change, and she says, “I'm going to fight for Treize to help realize his ideal!” When she returns to Barge, she makes a point of putting her glasses back on, one of the hallmarks of her military persona.

There are also times when switching takes several minutes. In episode 17, the first episode in which she appears as “peaceful Une,” she is later depicted in her uniform sitting in front of a vanity. The shot focuses on her hair as someone else works to braid it and put it up in buns. Once this is completed, she puts on her glasses and proceeds to give a command in her harsher, military voice.

Then in episode 18, we see a more complete transformation. The scene begins by showing Une in her suit, hair down and no glasses, then continues on to show maids helping her take off her suit jacket, place her uniform jacket on and do her hair. She completes the process herself by putting on her glasses. It’s interesting that in both scenes, this transformation begins with her as a passive receiver of change, before she uses her own agency to add the final touch by putting on her glasses.

The only time we see Une change from her military persona into her peaceful one is in episode 23. She’s speaking with Trowa about how “Zech’s” ideas about peace in space might be different from “Milliardo’s.” She insists that they and Zechs will battle again. She then admits that even Treize cannot “stop the future…. But I'll try to direct things toward Treize's ideal.” At this point, she takes off her glasses, once again taking an active role in the change. After her next line, her voice becomes higher pitched, and she ends with, “I'll fight and win. For Treize's future. And for my own future.” 

While in many ways, the show depicts DID in a believable way, there is one part that is really questionable, and that is the reintegration of her alter, which results a persona that incorporates aspects both of her identities. In episode 25, Tubarov shoots her through the chest after she releases the Gundam pilots on the Lunar Base. She falls face forward onto the floor, apparently dead, but in episode 42, we discover she is alive. Nichol arrives on Earth with other survivors of the destruction of Space Fortress Barge and orders that a comatose Une be taken to Treize immediately.

In episode 46, we see her eyes open, and shortly thereafter, her hospital bed is discovered empty and a shuttle takes off for outer space. She appears near Libra piloting Wing Gundam just in time to push Treize (in the upgraded Tallgeese) out of the way of Libra’s beam cannon. Most of Wing is destroyed, and when she emerges from the cockpit we see that her hair is down and she’s not wearing glasses. However, it’s not until a later scene that we see for sure that something has changed, since the purple space suit she’s wearing has been worn by both her identities in earlier episodes.

In episode 48, after Wufei kills Treize, Une is shown in the control room of the MO-2 resource satellite. She is wearing her military uniform, but her hair is down and her glasses are off. Her voice is deeper pitched than that of “peaceful Une,” but much calmer and softer than that of “military Une.” It is essentially a blend of the two, just as her outward appearance combines her military uniform with the hair style and lack of glasses typical of her peaceful identity.

The problem here is the impetus for the integration of her personalities. It’s true that DID can resolve without treatment, but that is uncommon (American Psychiatry Association). In fact, according to the APA, “typically those with dissociative identity disorder experience symptoms for six years or more before being correctly diagnosed and treated.” As we have established, however, Une’s case is not typical. The show never indicates the history of childhood trauma that is usually found in cases of DID, and as the show depicts events and as discussed above, her DID is simply a result of stress following Treize’s disapproval. Whether that's a reasonable impetus is up for the viewer to decide.

In Une’s case, the transformative moment depicted is the moment she is shot. In between the gun being fired and the bullet hitting her, Une responds to Tubarov’s accusation that she was too lenient by saying to herself, “As a soldier, yes. But as a civilian I lived a strict life.” At the time, she is wearing her uniform, with her hair up and glasses on. Her reference to her civilian life could certainly mean that she’s referring to her time as “peaceful Une,” suggesting that the amnesia she previously experienced between her two identities is no longer present. 

Narratively, that might be the creator’s intent. By this time, “peaceful Une” has come to see battle as necessary to attain peace rather than something to avoid at all costs, thanks to the abovementioned conversation she had with Nichol in which he urged her to support Treize as an OZ soldier. That might be considered a step toward uniting her two identities. However, given that DID is a disorder typically caused by trauma, it’s a hard sell that a traumatic incident (being shot) followed by a coma could somehow cause the reintegration of her multiple identities.

It should also be noted that of all the characters the creators chose to give DID to, they chose a villain. Most media portrayals of DID are of villains, in which people have a violent alter that does terrible things. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is probably the most well known example of this trope. The recent M. Night Shyamalan movie Split is also one. In Une’s case, her violent identity is her original one, and her alter is much more sympathetic. This is an improvement on the trope, as Une becomes more sympathetic once she has DID, but she’s still an antagonist during the time she has it, which means the audience will associate the disorder with villainy. That is a problem.

In the end, Gundam Wing’s portrayal of DID is a mixed bag. It does a good job of showcasing the reality of what some people with DID experience—namely, alters having different appearances, voices, and world views, alters not remembering each other’s actions, and the process of switching. However, the cause of Une’s DID is far from typical, her recovery from it is highly questionable, and the fact that she is a villain is highly problematic. It is perhaps better than many media portrayals of DID, but it is far from perfect.

* * *

Works Cited

American Psychiatric Association: -https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/expert-q-and-a  
-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, pp. 291–298:

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): -https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/dissociative-disorders

WebMD:  
-https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder#1-4

Cleveland Clinic:  
-https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9792-dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder

Dr. David Spiegel:  
-https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-disorders/dissociative-disorders/dissociative-identity-disorder

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Comments and kudos give me life :D


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